


The Aftermath Of It All

by ppinotgrigio



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: :), F/M, One Shot, Short One Shot, and then just... drove away, au i guess, basically if veronica and jd had blown up the school, some bonnie and clyde type of thing i dont know, veronica is becoming like jd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-01-30 06:41:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21423853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ppinotgrigio/pseuds/ppinotgrigio
Summary: Veronica and J.D. ended up going through with it. This is them leaving Sherwood behind.Kind of a mix between the musical and the film, I don't think the characters here fit entirely into one or the other.Enjoy!
Relationships: Jason "J. D." Dean/Veronica Sawyer
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

Veronica moved uncomfortably in the passenger seat, anxiety rising through her and threatening to overflow.  
“J.D.” She whispered, so quietly she could barely hear it herself. Her mouth was dry, and she struggled to think of what to say. “J.D.?” J.D. kept his eyes fixed to the road ahead of them, his knuckles white against the black of the steering wheel. “Jason.”  
“What, Veronica?” He turned to look at her, anger evident in his voice, his eyebrows furrowed. “I’m pretty fucking intent on getting us out of here.” He looked at her for another second before returning his gaze to the road. Veronica watched him flex his fingers once or twice before curling them back around the wheel. She hated the way he spoke to her, and felt as though she was a child being scolded. She swallowed a lump in her throat and let out a shaky breath.  
“We should go back.”  
J.D. let out a dry laugh and rolled his eyes, ignoring her. She knew he’d never turn the car around, and knew herself it would be plain idiotic to return to Sherwood, as the town would be in pieces – somewhat literally – over the detonation of the school. She wondered if any surrounding buildings had been caught in the explosion, and felt her eyes welling with tears.  
“We need to go back.” She pressed somewhat harshly, finding her voice once again and trying to ignore the panic crawling up her throat. “My parents, they’ll-“  
“They’ll what, Veronica?” J.D. huffed, sounding less angry, rather more impatient. “They’ll hear about the explosion, they’ll hurry to the school – or what used to be the school. They’ll hear about the note from all the other parents, or the police, or- whatever!” His voice raised until it was nearing a yell and Veronica tried to keep herself from crying. She was never so vulnerable when he was angry or annoyed, but the thought of what they’d done was hanging over her like a large, angry storm cloud. “They’ll think you died with everyone else, and they’ll mourn you. And then they’ll get over it.”  
The thought of her parents finding out their daughter was dead made Veronica’s heart twist sadly, painfully in her chest. She choked out a quiet sob and looked down at her hands, picking at her nails. She knew she could never see her parents again. She’d rather they thought she was dead. Knowing what she and J.D. had done would be worse.  
“I’m sorry.” He said quietly from beside her. She looked up slowly to meet his eyes, which were genuinely sympathetic. J.D.’s capriciousness was something she imagined she would never get used to, his ever-changing moods and demeanour made her head spin. She could never be entirely sure if he was being genuine, but at least he now seemed like the gentler version of him that she could melt into. The J.D. that she loved. “It’s us against the world now, Ronnie.” He took a hand off the steering wheel and took a hold of hers, squeezing it tightly and flashing a quick crooked smile. Veronica couldn’t bring herself to smile back, but she appreciated his sympathy and squeezed his hand in return.  
They drove without a destination, leaving Westerburg High as far behind them as possible. They didn’t talk a whole lot; both being fairly lost in their own thoughts. Veronica stared out of the window for the majority of the day, her eyes glassy and her breaths never fully clearing the smoke from her lungs. J.D. drove the whole day, at one point turning on whatever music was in the car for a few minutes and turning it back off. The sun eventually set and left streaks of fire across the sky, a silent reminder of what they’d done. At around 11 pm, J.D. suggested they stop for the night, reassuring Veronica that the police weren’t going to collect them from the side of the road and throw them behind bars, telling her they wouldn’t even know they were alive. “Our names were on the note.” He kept saying, repeating it until she could hear it echoing in her skull. “Our names were on the note.” They ended up parking at the foot of a hiking trail, the only other vehicle being an empty truck on the other side of the small clearing. There, they were out of sight of the road in case the cops did happen to go past and knock on windows of sleeping travellers.  
“We’re okay here.” J.D. said to Veronica, opening one of the rear doors of the car and pushing the seats down so they could lay down on them. They got a big blanket (which was more of a picnic rug) out of the trunk of the car, and crawled under it in the back seats.  
“Where are we gonna go?” Veronica asked quietly once they were settled, the blanket rough against her skin but thick and warm, which she was thankful for.  
“Wherever we want, Ronnie.” He answered, stretching an arm out and sliding it under her neck, letting his fingers trail over her shoulder. “We’ve made our own world, got rid of the bad guys. We just had to sacrifice some of the others to do so.”  
“We’re playing God.” She sighed, turning to look at him and running her fingertip down his cheekbone. She was tired, but no longer distraught like before. As much as J.D. scared her, she loved him, and she felt at home there in their embrace. She wondered if she herself was going mad, for her previous sorrow for Sherwood and Westerburg High were replaced with numbness, like the world could fall in on her and she would simply let it.  
“Yeah.” He smiled, quirking an eyebrow, “But we’re winning.” Then he leaned in and kissed her, holding her close to him and stroking her hair. “We are God.” He said smoothly, kissing her cheek. “I love you.” He kissed the other cheek, and then the corner of her eye, and the spot where her jaw curved down towards her chin. She closed her eyes and let him worship her, and as his thumb ran gently over her eyelashes, she whispered softly that she loved him too. She didn’t think of the next time he would get angry and yell or mock her, and she didn’t think of the bomb or the drain cleaner or the bullshit bullets that she could have seen right through if she’d taken German instead of French. Veronica let her thoughts stop racing and relaxed into his hold, his arms warm against her back and her side. She could worry about their next move tomorrow.  
Sleep came easier than it ever should of that night for Veronica.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica and J.D. stop at a gas station. The visit goes as smoothly as it could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I wasn’t planning on adding another chapter to this fic, but I have an essay to write for my class so naturally I found any way to procrastinate. This was the product of that, enjoy.

The gas station was quiet and smelled like grease and energy drinks. Veronica closed the door behind her and absentmindedly eyed the selection of drinks, waiting for J.D. to fill up the car.  
“Morning.” The woman behind the register called over in a less-than-cheery tone. Veronica gave her a smile and returned the greeting, glancing quickly out the window to see if J.D. was coming. He looked over at her from where he stood at the pump and raised an eyebrow, causing Veronica to turn away and walk further into the small store. There was a magazine rack along one wall, and opposite it a long shelf of travel guides and brochures. Veronica picked up an old faded guide that had a picture of a waterfall on the front, turning it over to see the difference in the colours. The bell above the door chimed merrily and she looked over, about to open her mouth when she realised another man had walked in, J.D. still making his way over from the car. The man was wearing a sleeveless shirt that may have once been white, a scruffy beard crawling over his jawline towards his cheeks and his hands shoved into the pockets of his brown work trousers. He greeted the cashier with in a way that made it clear to Veronica that they knew each other, and she wondered how often he must go to that gas station, twenty miles from the nearest town and on a long stretch of road that doesn’t really take you anywhere. The bell chimed a second time as J.D. came in, and he smiled at the cashier before sauntering over to Veronica.  
“Watcha got there?” He asked, a touch of sarcasm in the way he spoke to her. He took the guide from her hand and opened it. “Thinking of going on some hikes?” Veronica sighed and rolled her eyes, snatching the paper back and putting it on the shelf where she got it.  
“No. just curious.”  
J.D. shrugged and grinned, turning away from her to look at the shelves of snacks. The man was chatting casually to the cashier, but Veronica had reduced their conversation to background noise as she delved into the important task of picking the last chips of nail polish from her fingers. She was still wearing her Heathers get-up, and she suddenly wished she’d thrown at least a hoodie or some sweatpants into the back of the car. She self-consciously pulled on her skirt, making sure it was at least covering everything it needed to be before walking over to join J.D.  
“Do you have any more clothes?” She asked quietly, rocking forwards on her feet and crossing her arms over her middle.  
“No.” J.D. replied absently, putting down the Kit Kat he was holding and looking at her outfit. “Wasn’t exactly on my mind. You cold?” He bent slightly to put his warm hands on the sides of Veronica’s thighs, making her jump slightly, startled.  
“Jason, get off.” She laughed breathlessly, swatting at his hands. That simple action shouldn’t have got to her, but it did. Her cheeks flushed pink and she brushed her hands down the front of her blazer. “I just feel kinda stupid in this outfit. And its gross to wear the same clothes for days.” She shifted uncomfortably and cast a glance at the two adults conversing at the register.   
“Okay, fine.” J.D. said, putting his hands up in surrender and turning to walk towards the register. “We’ll find you some new clothes.” He approached the pair and stood a couple of paces behind the man, putting his hands back into his pockets and turning to look again at Veronica for a moment. She went back to the row of brochures and thumbed through one, looking at the pictures and not really bothering to read the information. She vaguely heard J.D. greet the cashier and tell her the pump number, and then heard the cash register swing open as she took the notes from him. Veronica looked up when she heard the man’s voice re-enter the conversation, and saw that J.D. was making his was back across the store to her. She started making her way towards the door before he interrupted her.  
“Hey, Veronica.” She turned to look back at him. He was a standing in the middle row of shelves, looking at something on his left. “Come here.” She sighed and lowered her arm; it had been reaching for the door. Approaching her boyfriend, she craned her neck to see what he had been looking at. “T-shirts.”  
In front of them was a small shelf covered in t-shirts, some with American flags printed over the chest and others with ‘Ohio’ stretching over the front in big letters. They were all in size large and looked like they’d been sitting on the shelf for years.  
“I can’t imagine anyone stopping here to buy a t-shirt.” Veronica laughed, grasping J.D.’s arm and gently tugging him in the direction of the door. “Come on, we’re outta here.” J.D. stopped her in her tracks, putting a hand over hers and removing it from his arm.  
“Hey, no.” He pulled her back to the t-shirts, the cashier and the man still chatting across the store. “You said you wanted clothes.”  
“I’m not paying ten dollars for a dusty old shirt, Jason.” Veronica rolled her eyes, dropping her hand onto one of the ‘Ohio’ shirts and watching a small burst of dust fly from it into the air. “Lets just stop at a thrift store in the next town or something.” J.D. narrowed his eyes and looked at her with a somewhat challenging expression.  
“You don’t need to pay ten dollars for it, ‘Ronica.” She raised an eyebrow at him and looked back at the price tag.   
“Uh, no.” She laughed awkwardly, using her knuckle to knock on the price tag, “ten dollars. Says right here.” J.D. chuckled darkly, taking her hand and holding it tightly – too tightly – in his grip. He smiled and looked at her, knowing she knew what he meant. “I’m not stealing a shirt, J.D.” she huffed.  
“Why not? They won’t notice.” He gestured to the other two by tilting his head, picking up a grey shirt and holding it out to Veronica. “What’s the problem?” She pulled her hand from his grasp and folded her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at him and glancing down at the shirt.   
“There’s no point. I don’t really need it anyway.” She shook her head. He stayed silent, still holding the shirt out for her and staring into her eyes. “Come on, lets just go. Please.” J.D. smirked and raised an eyebrow. She huffed and turned away from him, about to start walking towards the door when she felt something against the small of her back.  
“Come on, Ronnie. it’s just a t-shirt. Why don’t you live a little.” His voice dripped with poison and Veronica knew he wasn’t going to let up. J.D.’s bad side was seeping through, and she supposed she should be glad he just wanted her to shoplift rather than, you know – murder. She turned her head slowly to see what he was doing, and gasped when she saw what he was holding up to her back. A switchblade, small but deadly, rested against the blue fabric of her blazer.  
“What are you doing?” She whispered, turning her body carefully to face him, the blade now pointed towards her stomach. “Jason.”  
“Just take the shirt, babe.” He handed the merchandise to her, and she took it with trembling hands. He laughed quietly. “Scared?” She looked down at the blade, blood rushing to her cheeks. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears.  
“Why?” She asked, although she wasn’t really sure what she was questioning. He stepped forwards, his black coat taking up all of her line of sight. She looked back into his eyes.  
“What was that?” he asked gently, his voice sweet but his eyes dark. The blade suddenly dug into her skin, and she bit down on the inside of her cheek to stifle the yelp that jumped from her throat. She felt a drop of blood roll down the bottom of her torso, and she stepped back with the t-shirt in hand. Slowly, she rolled it up and pushed it under the front of her blazer, using her arm to keep it in place and trying to make it as subtle as possible. J.D. grinned at her and twirled the knife between two fingers. She scowled at him and tapped her foot on the floor.  
“Ready to go?” He chuckled, putting his hands back into his pockets, switchblade safely closed. He winked at her and walked past her towards the door, Veronica hesitantly following. He thanked the cashier offhandedly, opening the door for Veronica and stepping outside. Once out of the store, Veronica let out a breath she wasn’t aware she’d been holding. They walked to the car in silence, J.D. sitting in the drivers seat and starting the ignition. She relaxed her arms once she was seated next to him, and let the shirt roll onto her lap. The car pulled out and back onto the road, picking up speed as they left the gas station behind them.  
“What the fuck, Jason?” Veronica finally asked, picking up the rolled up shirt and holding it between them.  
“What?” he replied, not looking away from the road. “why don’t you put it on?” Veronica laughed dryly, dropping it back into her lap and leaning her elbow on the door next to her, putting her head in her hand.   
“Will you kill me if I don’t?”  
“I was never going to kill you, Ronnie. I was just having a little fun.”  
Veronica looked at him in disbelief. He glanced at her and smiled sincerely, placing a hand over her knee.  
“Fucking unbelievable.” She scoffed. She looked down at the blood on the front of her blouse, pulling the fabric so it wouldn’t stick to the cut. J.D. put his hand into the storage area of the door on his side of the car, pulling out a small box of bandaids and tossing them into her lap, returning her attention to the road.  
“Sorry about that. It’s not deep.” He apologised, his voice sounding as though he’d just accidentally taken a drink from her bottle instead of his own, rather than stabbing her so she would commit a crime. She shook her head and opened the box, using the corner of her blouse to wipe the blood from around the wound and bandaging it up. Eventually, she gave in and changed into the big grey t-shirt, and she had to admit it was thick and comfortable. She took J.D.’s hand from her knee and held it up to her mouth, biting down on his knuckle and dropping it back into his own lap.  
“Ow.” He laughed, looking at his red knuckle and putting his hand back onto the steering wheel. “That kinda hurt, Ronnie.”  
“You stabbed me.”  
“I guess so.”   
Veronica turned her attention back toward the trees whizzing past her window, ignoring the dull throbbing from the cut on her stomach. She was glad that was all she had seen of his bad side. She could live with a small wound. Better that than two innocent people found dead in a gas station.


End file.
